Faculty

Shirley Y Hill, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Human Genetics

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email

Education & Training

PhD
Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Member, Society of Biological Psychiatry
Member, Research Society on Alcoholism

Research Interests

Genetic/epigenetic influences on addiction; Genetic/epigenetic influences on brain structure
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Hill SY, Jones BL, Haas G. Suicidal ideation and aggression in childhood, genetic variation and young adult depression. Journal of Affective Disorders,2020, July 24, 276:954-62.
  2. Wellman JL, Holmes B, Hill SY. Accuracy of self-reported hypertension: Effect of age, gender and history of alcohol dependence. Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 2020, May, 22(5):842-49
  3. Hill SY, Sharma VK. DRD2 methylation and regional grey matter volume in young adult offspring from families at ultra-high risk for alcohol dependence. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019,Apr 30, 286:31-38.

Clinical Interests

Etiology of alcohol & substance use disorders; Epigenetic regulation of genetic influences; Neuroimaging and psychiatric disorders

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Medical student education

New from Pitt Psychiatry: The Effect of DRD2 Methylation on Brain Morphology in People at High Risk for Alcohol Dependence

How does a family background of alcohol dependence affect brain morphology? In a recent study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, Shirley Hill, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Human Genetics, explored this question through the lens of dopamine signaling, with the goal of determining if changes in dopaminergic expression influence the development of the brain. Dopamine, which is important in...

Hill et al. Report in Epigenomics that Individuals with a Family History of Alcohol Dependence May Be at Higher Risk of Developing Cancer

Hill et al. Epigenomics 2017

Alcohol use is responsible for about 4% of all deaths worldwide. Alcohol abuse and dependence are also frequently seen in individuals diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Defining the factors that contribute to this increased risk for these cancers is critical to the ultimate goal of reducing cancer development. Because about 30% of all types of cancers involve the HRAS oncogene, its expression is of importance to...